Boiler.



. J. ELLIS.

Bomen.'

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 17, 1911.

Patented Feb. 6, 1912.

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COLUMBIA PLANGGRAPH co..wAsmNGTON, h. c.

W. J. ELLIS.

BOILBR.

.122110111011 FILED 111111117, 1911.

1,016,484, 1 Patented 11111111912.

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Witnes es: lhventor, by M l Aitorneys.

COLUMBIA PMNOORAPH C0.. WASHINGTON. D. C.

W. J. ELLIS.

BOILBB. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 17, 1911.

InventorJ Patented Feb. 6, 1912.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM JEFFERSON ELLIS, 0F ANDREWS, NORTH CAROLINA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE- TI-IIRD TO THOMAS COVER, JR., OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, AND ONE- THIRD TO SAMUEL E. COVER, OF ANDREWS, NORTH CAROLINA.

BOILER.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. ELLIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Andrews, in the county of Cherokee and State of North Carolina, have invented a new and useful Boiler, of which the following is a specification.

Many attempts have been made to provide a steam boiler and furnace capable of burning fuel in a smokeless and economical manner. All these attempts have not been completely successful because either the fuel has not been burned with complete efflciency, or the smokeless burning of the fuel was effected in theory only and not in practice. Now this invention has for its object to-remedy those drawbacks effectively and completely.

According to the invention, the improved steam boiler which is preferably of the internal fiue type, is bedded in the fire in a peculiar manner, that is to say, the lower half of the boiler is surrounded jacket-fashion by a furnace flue which heats the boiler in a peculiar manner. The fuel introduced in this furnace flue is prepared for burning smokelessly by being subjected to a coking process in the jacket-like flue on both sides of the boiler, whereupon the coked fuel now poor in gas, is used together with the combustible gases above the grate for heating the boiler.

the flue, mingles with the combustible gases, while a second current of air passing up through the grate also enters the flue and combines therein with the descending current so as to produce in the combustion chamber a complete and entirely smokeless combustion of the coked fuel. This combustion produces a iame too powerful for the naked eye and can be viewed only with the aid of protective glasses. This flame have ing t-he temperature of white heat is led, utilized and used by being employed to heat an internal ue boiler of the most compact construction possible, by passing five times through the said boiler. This is effected by means of a peculiar combination of smoke boxes, and internal fire iiues. The arrangement of the internal fire flues and the smoke boxes coperating therewith, is in principle simple and symmetrical as regards their dise Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led .Tune 17, 1911.

Further, an adjustable current of air coming from above and passing along Patented Feb. 6, 1912.

Serial No. 633,780.

'tribution and also their dimensions. This will be understood more clearly from the following detailed description of the internal flues.

The flame passes over the furnace grate into the combustion chamber (enlarged by meansv of a recess in the lower part of the boiler), on its way to the central fire flue. This lire flue may taper or decrease in cross sectional area very gradually from its inlet end next the combustion chamber to its other and opposite end next the smoke box. By this tapering of the fire fiue, the flame is caused to radiate its heat with gradually increasing intensity. The flame is then led by two further fire flues (arranged parallel to the central fire flue and of smaller diameter than the central line) through the suitably shaped combustion chamber, whence it passes into the forward smoke box and thence into. the chimney through two flues which are likewise of smaller diameter and which unite with each other at the top. By this gradual diminution of diameter of the iues which eects an economical and gradually increasing radiation of heat, in combination with the combustion chamber, there is produced by this invention a twofold heating of the water in the boiler, since the internal water surface contacting the combustion chamber is not only heated by the combustion of the heating gases therein, but the said water surface is also heated from the opposite side by the ends of the upper and lower fire flues which extend past that place.

I shall now proceed to describe in detail the symmetrical arrangement of the fire flues individually and also relatively to one another. This arrangement is suchthat the fire fiues viewed in cross section have, with relation to the internal boiler shell (which is likewise constructed in symmetry) `a uniformity of dimensions which not only equaliZes the pressure in the internal fire flue boiler so as to render stay bolts unnecessary, but which also secures the great advantage that bulging of portions of the boiler shell and shifting of individual parts in the boiler are prevented. A

A further advantage of great importance for the life of the boiler is that the mutually complementing arrangements of the the boiler.

The invention affords further the advantage of enabling the boiler to be heated intermittently because the fuel, or coal is stored above the bed-like furnace flue and is kept there ready for use, but is so separated from the said furnace flue by a layer of air'that at determined points itis not only not burned, but is not even heated, and it is at these points that doors are provided for charging coal, which on being opened allow of filling up the furnace flue in which the boiler is embedded.

The furnace flue and the flow of air therein can be so regulated as to effect an intermittent heating of the boiler at will or according to requirement. This may be effected for instance by allowing t-he coal to burn only for a determined period, say, during the day shift, and then banking up the redhot fuel in the furnace flue for the night in such a manner that it is merely necessary to open the air admitting devices and lill up the` furnace flue with coal through the charging doors, to start the boiler in full operation `withoutrhaving first to get up steam. The

filling in of the fuel` fromabove has the advantage of dispensing with hand labor and opening the fire doors.

The symmetrical arrangement of the fire flues in the water space has for its object to enable the water to be heated uniformly, since the upper edges of the upper flues are situated in a horizontal line..

The result of the general arrangement is to effect a very considerable saving in coal owing to the systematic utilization of .the heatingpower of the fuel.

One form of apparatus for carrying out this Vinvent-ion is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, but it is to be expressly understood that individual parts of the apparatus may be modified according to requirement without departingk tom of the boilerto serveV as kaninlet into the for its object to cause the air for combustion Y ,to pass through the coal contained in the lire box around the lower half of the boiler before it reaches the grate. As the coal moves slowly down to the grate according to the consumption, the coal is subjected by the radiant heat to a coking process, whereby combustible gases are given oft', so that the coal reaches the grate in the form of coke. The current of air descending in the furnace flue carries the gases to the combustion chamber where they produce in conjunction with the coke burning on the grate, a

temperature equal to white heat. The combination of the above described boiler with the furnace has t-he result of producing a smokeless and complete colnbustion of the combustible substances contained in the coal, and consequently a steam generator having a high efficiency, or a more compact build with equal efliciency.

A stationary steam generator is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which:-

Figure 1 is a central vertical. longitudinal section through the furnace flue, the furnace and the fire flue. Fig. 2 is a front elevation showing the doors closed. Fig. 3 is a similar view, showing the lire flues open and parts broken away. Fig. 4 is a section through the firebox on the line B-B of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 isa section through the rear smoke box and the ,fire bridge on the line C-C looking toward the rear end of the steam generator. Fig. 6 is an elevationof the rear smoke box. Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic illustration of the symmetrical arrangement and symmetrical dimensions of the central Hue and the inner boiler shell. Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic illustration of the improved boiler constructed as a locomotive boiler.

It is to be understood that the hereinafter described arrangement can be applied also to a battery of steam generators, to marine steam generators, and also to all portable steam generators without departing from the nature of the invention, of which one of the main features consists in leading the lire gases several times for instance three times through the boiler from a bed-like furnace surrounding the boiler which produces a coking of the coal before the combustion proper of the latter, and then only effect a combustion of the gases resulting from this is an extension 3 which is divided by a fire bridge 4 into a lower smoke box 5 and an upper smoke box 6.

The front end of the boiler 1 with the exception of the smoke box 2 is surrounded by a bed like fire box or furnace iiue 7, which adapts itself to the curvature of the boiler up to a horizontal line situated at about half the height of the latter, from which line the furnace fiue is continued upward with vertical sides so as to form coal stores 8.

The boiler proper 1 is traversed throughout its extent between the front and rear smoke boxes by a central fire flue 9 and by for instance two, pairs of side fire lines 10, 11, and 12, 13 arranged symmetrically to the iue 9. The plate 14 of the smoke box 2 which projects from the front plate 15 of the boiler 1, is formed with a recess or opening 16 to give the necessary space to the stoker to attend to the lire, and it is provided with two doors 17 belonging to the lower lire tubes 10 and 11. This recess 16 is closed by a plate 18 which serves also to strengthen the front plate of the boiler. The central lire flue 9, the front portion 19 of which constitutes the combustion chamber, is formed likewise in its underside facing the grate with a recess or opening 16 extending the length of the grate, and is closed to the water space by side walls 20, whereby these parts of the boiler are rendered easily accessible.

The diagram Fig. 7 illustrates the principle which forms an essential feature of the invention, and which consists in the entirely uniform distribution of the pressures inside the boiler thereby not only dispensing with all stay bolts, but also obviating bulging or crumpling of the boiler parts due to unbalanced pressures acting upon the inner boiler shell, as well as shifting of the inner parts. This is effected by making the dimensions m and i/ (Fig. 7) equal to each other and also to the diameter e of the central tube and inner boiler walls.

The diagram (Fig. 7) further shows that the inner boiler wall has here the shape of two connected letters S of determined dimensions. This affords the advantage that riveting is only required at the three places 21, 22 and 23, namely at the two lower ends 22 and 23 of the boiler wall and at the junction 21 of the two Ss constituting the inner boiler wall. A strengthening strip 24 is riveted on at this upper junction 21. In

this manner the rivet heads are protected from the white hot iame, and the use of S shapes obviates flat sides and weak places. The symmetrical arrangement of the second and third lire flues 10, 11 and 12, 13 around the central flue 9, enables all the water-con tacting parts of the boiler shell to be heated as nearly as possible uniformly.

The central tube 9 is composed of two parts, namely, the combustion chamber 19 and the tubular part 25. The combustion chamber 19 is formed with the S sided recess throughout the length of the re box. The tubular part 25 extends therefrom as far as the rear end of the boiler and may be diminished to suit the size of the latter. This central lire flue 25 may also be tapered or contracted toward its rear end as indicated by dash dotted lines in Fig. 1. The space between the coal stores 8 and the curved portion of the lirebox or furnace iilue is closed to the external air by dampers 26. Each coal store 8 is formed with openings 27 in its underside, through which coal can be charged according to requirement into the space between the firebox 7 and the boiler 1, that is, into the furnace flue by rotating a sliding plate 28 by means of a lever 29.

The firebox, that is, the furnace iiue, the central re flue, the two lower fire flues and the smoke box are lined with lire-proof mat-erial, such as refractory bricks of ganister or fire clay. A layer of asbestos is inserted between the fire clay lining and the wall of the front smoke box 2 for the purpose of retaining the heat coming from the lower iues, for heating the last flues.- The lining of asbestos and fire clay serves also to shelter the stoker from the heat. Stoking openings 30 closable by lids or the like and a clinker-removing opening closed by a door 31 are provided in the front plate of the fire box 7 In Figs. 1 and 3, 32 is a manhole in the rear plate of the boiler, and 33 is a door of a cleaning opening in the rear smoke box 5. The boiler and furnace are provided with all necessary manhole and handholes such as 34 and 35 (Fig. 6) for cleaning and repairing purposes.

As shown in Fig. 1, 37 is the chimney, and 38 is a pipe for establishing direct connection between the steam dome and the chimney, for the purpose of admitting steam from the steam dome into the chimney 37, if necessary, as in cases where the furnace is being driven and there is not suiicient draft in the apparatus.

39 is the ashpit door.

The operation and working of the boiler are as follows: Coal C is raised by an clevator 40 above the boiler or boilers where it is distributed on to a feed belt 41 having separate coal feeding chambers 42 from which the corresponding coal stores 8 may be filled by opening movable flaps 43 by means of gearing 44. Then a good lire is made on the grate 45 and the furnace flue or fire box 7 lis filled up to the top through the opening 17 in the coal stores 8. At the same time the air supply openings 26 are opened and the slide 46 isV opened. The air for combustionV entering through the air supply openings has here two functions, namely it prevents heating of the coal in the coal store 8, andit carries down into the combustion chamber 19, all the combustible gases from the'coal which is situated inthe fire box or furnace flue 7 and is being coked by the heat arising from the grate. Consequently it isY not coal, but coke which is burned on the grate so that the improved furnace can be considered to be a combination of a gas generator and a coke burning furnace. r1`he grate issupported on longi- Y' tudinal andvbent bars.

The advantages of this improved furnace are the following: The doors need not be Vopened for stoking, thus preventing desirable ingress of cold air into the interior ofy each` time fresh coal is put on the fire in existing steam generators, and which escapes fromv the chimney 1n black sulfurous clouds, 1s obviated, because 1n the improved generator the `smoke gases have Vbeen re- Ymoved from the coal by dry distillation before it is burned on' the grate, and these gases are in turn burned over` the grate or furtherV inside the fire flues. Owing to the lower part of the outside shell of the boiler along the furnace flue or re box 7 being heated by t-he highly heated coal in process of distillation, and to the complete and intense combustionj' of the smoke gases supplementary to the fire on thegrate, producing a white heat temperature, the efliciencyr of the entire apparatus is raised to an hitherto unattained degree which is further kraised by the' passage of the flames three times in succession through the entire length of the water space of the boiler. lThe fire gases coming from the Vgrate 45 and from Yboth sides of the furnace flue and passing into the combustion chamber 19, being mixed with air, are suitably prepared in the fire .flues to be completely burned so that theyare converted into heating gases which give up almost their whole heat through the flue walls to the water in the boiler.` 'i

In Fig. 1, arrows indicate the course of the' iames rising from the grate which pass through the central flue 9 to the rearlower smoke box 5, then through the lower Vlire fines 10 and 11 to the front smoke box 2,

whence they pass through the upper lire flues 12 and 13 into the smoke box 6 and thence to the chimney 37.

If the furnace is properly stoked, a white heat is produced in the combustion chamber 9 and the fire fines connected therewith. This may be observed with the eye, for which purpose a sight hole 47 glazed with green glass for observing the progress of the fire, is provided in the front plate or door 14 of the smoke box 2, in order that the stoker may attain the full useful effect of the apparatus by suitably filling the furnace Hue or fire box 7, and admitting the required quantity of air through the dampers 46 and the ashpit, this useful effect consisting in producing a complete and smokeless combustion by the combination of the lateral air currents passing along the furnace flue with the air current passing up from below through the grate, so that no smoke can be observed either over the grate or in the smoke box or in the chimney.

The double S like shape of the combustion chamber has also the special and the most important object of the present invention namely, of compressing the fire gases at its narrowest point (16 in Fig. 7 with an action similar to that of the constriction in a lamp chimney so that by the hitherto unattained incandescence any particles of coal which have remained unburned, and which would otherwise issue as smoke or soot from the chimney are now burned and their calorific value is utilized.

The dimensions of the smoke boxes 2, 5, 6 are such that the latter have very much larger clear cross-section than the fire fines 9, 10, 11 and 12, 13. From this it follows that the velocity of the fire gases in the smoke boxes is lower than in the fire iues, so that any particles of coal or soot that may be carried over can settle only in the smoke boxes. Now since three smoke boxes are provided according to this invention it is'clear that it is impossible for such pare ticles to pass from the fire iues into the chimney.

The herein described invention is suitable for use in locomotives and portable engines. Fig. 8 shows diagrammatically an arrangement for a locomotive boiler in which the upper fire fines 12 and 13 are replaced by numerous narrow tubes 48, through which the heating gases pass in their way from the front smokebox 2 to the chimney after having given up their heat to the water in the boiler. Y

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In a boiler furnace, the combination with a boiler having a grate, a central fire fine arranged on its under side next to the grate, and provided with an opening extending the entire length of the grate through which re gases enter the fire Hue and travel to the rear of the boiler, and

lower internal lateral flues through which the re gases are conveyed from the rear to the front of the boiler, and thence pass to the rear of the boiler and escape.

2. In a boiler furnace, a boiler provided with a grate and a central re Hue arranged on its under side next to the grate and provided with an opening extending the entire length of the latter, lower internal lateral lues extending to the front of the boiler to convey the fire gases from the rear to the front thereof, a fire boX at the rear of the boiler for receiving the gases from the central flue and for directing them to the lateral lues, a front smoke box for receiving the gases from the lateral filles, and upper WILLIAM JEFFERSON ELLIS.

Witnesses L. E. BAUBLITZ,

G. W. CooEs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

